The True Gospel of Chrishna-Jeseus
Section 4 — Appulse of Crises
40 — The Chapter of the Repentant Nymph
A-UM !
1. And after the Lord had spoken, Arjuna addressed him in the name of the Disciples, saying,
2. 'Thou art the Centre of Creation: as the nave is of the spokes of the wheel'.
3. And the Disciples said, 'Amen! It is so'.
4. And Arjuna added: 'We worship thee, O, most holy Lord, who came forth from the egg of Vishnu, which is our Cosmos of the Spirit, embracing Matter. Thou: whose end knows no destroyer, and who, also, is the Cause of the Duration of the life of Man'.
5. And the Lord blessed Arjuna, and the Disciples. He—who is unaffected by works, but conquered by love and affection, as He himself is full of Mercy and Compassion, the incomparable Lord of Lords.
6. And they wandered through the woods and came to a pleasing grove of palms, where, unknown to all, except Chrishna Jeseus, dwelt the fierce demon Dhenuka, feeding upon the flesh of deer.
7. Beholding the trees, covered with much fruit, and desirous of gathering it, the Disciples cried out to one another and to the Lord, saying,
8. 'See, Chrishna, see, Arjuna! the trees are loaded with ripe provender, the smell of which pervades the air.
9. 'We should like to eat some; wilt thou, who art strong, O Lord, shake some down?'
10. And Chrishna and Arjuna went up to the trees, and shook them, bringing down the fruit to the ground.
11. But hearing the noise of the falling fruit, the fierce and malignant demon hastened to the grove, assuming the form of a wild ass, and he, being in a great rage, began to kick Arjuna on the breast with his hinder heels.
12. And the Lord, who had foreseen this, smiled to himself and watched to see what Arjuna would do in return, secretly transferring to his beloved Disciple some of his own great strength.
13. So Arjuna seized the ass by both hind legs, and, whirling him round until he expired, tossed the carcass to the top of a palm tree,
14. From the branches of which it struck down an abundance of fruit, like unto rain-drops poured upon the earth by the gust of wind.
15. But the demons who were kin to Dhenuka came running to his aid, though too late, and Arjuna treated them in the same manner, until the trees were laden with dead asses, and the ground was strewn with ripe dates and nuts.
16. And the Disciples laughed loudly in their glee, but at that moment came rushing along in utmost fury the wife of the demon, likewise in the shape of an ass, wild froth on her screaming mouth, to take vengeance on them all.
17. But before she reached him, the Lord stepped forward, and she beheld him, and suddenly she cast away her animal shape, and threw herself at his feet as a most beautiful nymph of the lower realms of the Moon.
18. And Arjuna and the Disciples stood as if they were statues, hewn out of marble blocks, unable to move and hardly breathing in their astonishment at this unforeseen transformation.
19. And the nymph spoke unto the Lord, full of awe and contrition, and she murmured plaintively:
20. 'Forgive me, thou God of Gods! How shall I address thee, who art possessed by thine own strength and essence of the eight great faculties, in energy unequalled, and bestowing God-like Power wherever thou wilt.
21. 'Thou art the Supreme Spirit; and from thee the Supreme proceeds.
22. 'Thou art beyond all finite objects; how, then, can I speak thy praise?
23. 'How can I declare thy greatness, who art above Brahmâ, Rudra, Chandra, Indra, the Maruts, the Aswins, the Vasus, and Adityas: being their Master as the Son of the Supreme Lord of the Universe in all its manifold domains!
24. 'Thou, whom even Brahmâ and all the other Gods fail to comprehend!
25. 'How can I dare to approach thee, to whom the very Gods offer incense, and flowers culled from the groves of Nandana?
26. 'Whose Incarnation is the King which the deities ever adore; whom the Sages that have withdrawn their senses from all external objects worship in thought,
27. 'Enshrining thine image in the purposes of their hearts and presenting to it the living flowers of Sanctity?
28. 'I am quite unable, O, God of Gods, to worship or hymn thee.
29. 'Thine own Clemency must, alone, turn thy mind to compassion.
30. 'It is the nature of snakes to be savage; and I am born of their kind. Hence, this is my nature, but not mine offence.
31. 'But even to be punished by thee would be, to me, a blessing; for even punishment from thee is a favour in that thou deignest to take note of one whose origin is in a lower world.
32. 'Thou wieldest the sacred Conch of Eloquence, and as its sonorous voice resounds, the nature spirits cry out with gladness.
33. 'Thy words are sweet like unto the juice of flowers and the fragrance of the lotus, enjoyed by the gentle of mind.
34. 'Thine eyes are like unto the elongated petals of the white lotus, and thy body is of a dark blue tint, more beautiful than the shining luminosity of the peacock's neck.
35. 'Make my destiny propitious, oh, destroyer of the afflictions of the afflicted; thou lustrous jewel of divinity!
36. 'Who is there upon this earth capable of uttering thy praise? Oh, Abode of Fortune, true and imperturbable.
37. 'Behold! I am without strength, and the poison of my mind is evaporated by the might of thy holy Presence.
38. 'Spare my life; I beseech thee! And command what I shall do to show thee my true repentance'.
39. Being thus addressed by the nymph, the Lord spoke, and made reply unto her, saying,
40. 'It needs but one thought of true repentance to be washed free from all sin, my daughter.
41. 'Go, then, to the place which is prepared for thee in the world where roam thy kind in happiness and freedom, all those who have repented from error; and anon the Gate will be opened unto thee, and thou shalt enter, being freed from sin by my Decree'.
42. And the Lord clapped his hands, three times, and the nymph dissolved before the eyes of the Disciples, and a shining cloud rose up swiftly from the place where she had lain; and it disappeared in the skies.
43. And the Disciples set to and ate of the ripe fruit in peace; but they were too astounded by what they had seen to comprehend the full meaning of the spiritual food the Lord had caused to be set before them in his Wisdom,
44. To feed their Minds with a great but hidden Teaching. But they had seen too many miracles that day to realize the inward meaning of the act;
45. For is it not true that after fifteen minutes of continued surprise, the mind takes all things for granted, and cannot be surprised any more?
46. And after they had eaten, all went forth again on their journey through the land; the Lord ever teaching, and healing the sick, bringing comfort to the people who beheld him and heard his words.
47. The rainy season came and went, to be succeeded by the autumn, when the lotus is in full bloom.
48. The small Saphari fish in their watery burrows were oppressed by the heat: like a man by selfish desires.
49. The peacocks, no longer animated by passion, were silent in the woods: like holy saints who have come to know the unreality of the world.
50. The clouds, of shining whiteness, exhausted of their humid wealth, deserted the atmosphere: like those who have acquired wisdom depart from the false pleasures of this world.
51. Evaporated by the continual rays of the autumnal sun, the lakes had dried up: like the hearts of men when withered by the error of selfishness.
52. The pellucid waters in shady spots were suitably embellished by white water-lilies: as the minds of the pure by the apprehension of Truth.
53. The moon shone brightly in the starry sky with undiminished countenance; like the saintly being who hath reached the final stage of bodily existence in the full health of righteousness in the company of the pious.
54. The rivers retired slowly from their banks: as the wise, by degrees, shrink from attachment to earthly things.
55. Abandoned by the waters of the pools, the swans began to congregate; like erring ascetics, deserted by false gods, throng together for material comfort in their inner afflictions.
56. The ocean was still and calm: like the perfect Muni, the man of silence, who has attained the Peace and undisturbed tranquillity of the Spirit.
57. The rain-washed skies were clear and pure: as the minds of the wise who behold Vishnu in all things.
58. And the heavens were wholly free of clouds: like the true ascetic, whose cares have been consumed by the fire of devotion.
59. The Lord and his Disciples were one day resting in a pleasant spot; with, on one side a wide, fast-flowing river, on another side a great, unscalable mountain, and on the third a dark wood of enormous extent,
60. Through which they had passed on their way to this triangular place, a great plain, full of flowers, with little hillocks here and there.
61. And a stranger appeared out of the forest, approaching the little group, and bowing with profound respect before Chrishna Jeseus.
62. Giving his name as one Akruna, he greeted the Lord, saying that he, Akruna, was a special messenger to him from the holy Hermits of Mount Meru and their present Hierophant, and from Vasudeva, the Patriarch.
63. And when he beheld the Lord he exclaimed, 'Ha! My life has at last borne good fruit, and my night is followed by the dawn of day;
64. 'For I have the superior good fortune to behold the Lord Vishnu in thee, whose eyes are like the expanded leaf of the lotus.
65. 'To behold that divine countenance, even when seen in imagination, taketh away the sins of men.
66. 'I am beholding the mouth of Vishnu, whence proceeds the wisdom of the Veds and all the sciences.
67. 'I see the Sovereign of the thirteen worlds, by whom the Universe is sustained, who is worshipped by the best of men, and who is without beginning or end.
68. 'I see him who has obtained sovereignty over all the Gods: that Hari, whose nature is unknown to Brahmâ, the concealed Lord; the Soul of All, the Unknown of All, who is present in All, who is permanent and without diminution, and who will receive my message.
69. 'I bow unto him; may he in whom cause and effect are one, and who knows all the worlds and the secrets thereof, may he be propitious to me, in whom I place my faith and trust eternal'.
70. And he made deep obeisance to the Lord, who stood among his Disciples, dark as the leaf of the full-blown lotus; his eyes of the same colour, and his breast decorated with the holy sign of God.
71. And the Lord smiled mirthfully upon the exuberant messenger; and Chrishna was dressed that day in yellow garments and adorned with a garland of forest flowers, having a fresh-gathered creeper in his hand, and a chaplet of white lotus-flowers on his head.
72. Yea, the Lord smiled mirthfully, yet kindly, upon Akruna:
73. For he that needeth not the praise of men, being beyond all praise, yet beholdeth with pleasure the gold of generous thought, unselfish,
74. Which enableth the man with golden heart and mind to pour out praise to the God which dwelleth invisibly within the visible form of Him who is a very God indeed.
75. For the false of heart, whose mind is dross, cannot bestow praise upon any being; for he is filled with unholy pride and false ambition, and jealous of the slightest merit which hath a dwelling place within another man.
76. Such are the ravishers and betrayers of their Teacher who bringeth them the Light, and their end shall be in darkness.
77. And Akruna also saw Arjuna, white as a swan, a jasmine, or the moon, and he was dressed in blue raiment as a lotus in full bloom, like unto another Kailasa-mountain, crested, as it were, with a wreath of clouds; and the rest of the Disciples were clad in white.
78. And when, after greeting the Lord, Akruna saw that radiant group of good Disciples, his heart went out to them all, his countenance expanded with delight, and the down on his body stood erect with pleasure (*see publisher's note in sidebar).
79. But he thought within himself, wondering greatly, 'What will that great Lord and his happy Disciples, think of me when I deliver my message;
80. 'And know that I have dwelt for some time, though by the command of the holy Hermits, at the court of the Lord's most bitter enemy, even Kamsa, and his evil queen Kadru?
81. 'Will they despise me for my association with those wicked ones, and will the Disciples spurn me, and cast me out at the Lord's command like unto a leprous mendicant? How vain is the birth of him who is shunned by the virtuous!
82. 'May all the evil propensities of my mind be stilled, and all creatures be saved from the ocean of relative existence by the compassion of this Lord!'
83. But the Lord read his thoughts, and kindly laying his hand upon Akruna's shoulder, bade him welcome; telling him to speak without fear.
84. For the Lord knew that Akruna's heart was wholly devoted to him, and to the good priests who had entrusted him with his errand.
85. And the Lord drew the messenger towards himself, and embraced him affectionately; blessing the Spark Divine which dwelleth within the pure of heart.
Next: 41 — The Chapter of The Great Battle
This e-text facsimile of The Book of Sa-Heti was published on 5 August 2012.
© Copyright 2012 J Michaud PhD & occult-mysteries.org. Last updated 28 March 2017.
